by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
The leaders of two major banks are also the new leaders of the Gator Bowl Association.
Scott Keith, the city president for BB&T who expects to have his bank’s logo on a downtown building soon, moved up to the association’s chairman Monday after Virginia Tech’s 35-24 win over Louisville in Alltel Stadium.
Kelly Madden, who heads Wachovia’s five-county operation, will be named the chairman-elect soon. She’ll be elevated to the top volunteer post for the Jan. 1, 2008 game.
“We have an excellent team and we have a lot to build on,” said Keith. “We have a new conference alliance (Big 12) and Kelly will be a terrific person to work with.”
It didn’t take long for the two to get down to business, huddling in the Gator Bowl offices on the East side of the stadium after Monday’s trophy presentation while others wound down with libations and conversation.
Keith and Madden will oversee a staff of 13 headed by GBA President Rick Catlett, a committee of over 200 business leaders and hundreds of volunteers. The association conducts a number of events during the year that culminate with game week and the New Year’s Day game.
Keith, a native of Pittsburgh, moved to Jacksonville when his serviceman father was based here. He was graduated from Florida State and joined the old American National Bank, then moved to SunTrust. After a short time as the chief financial officer of the Scott-McRae automotive firm, he took the top local position at BB&T, the North Carolina-based bank that is making a strong move in this area.
Madden is a Miami native and also graduated from FSU. She joined First Union in Tampa after graduation and stayed with the company when it was taken in by Wachovia. She was promoted to the position of North Florida Regional President last year.
She will be the second female to lead the 60-year-old bowl; Susan Hamilton of CSX was the first in 2003.
Both Keith and Madden have two children and both are active in numerous community affairs.
With Catlett and influential past chairmen such as BellSouth’s Jim McCollum and RS&H’s Leerie Jenkins, they’ll tackle various issues including the ongoing controversy with the city and the Jacksonville Jaguars regarding in-stadium advertising, the new conference alliance that brings the Big 12 into the Gator Bowl picture in two of the next four years, and the need for a larger payoff to the competing teams in order to maintain a high position among the nation’s bowl games.
Monday’s game marked the end of chairman Mike Hartley’s reign and The Hartley Press CEO said he’s being succeeded by good people.
“Both have worked hard and will move us into the future,” said Hartley. “It’s been great working with Scott, and he’s going to be pleased with what Kelly brings to the table.”
The Gator Bowl finished a wild weekend of football in the area as the Jacksonville Jaguars finished their regular season less than a half day prior to the start of the Toyota Gator Bowl and finished off a 12-4 record with a 40-13 beating of Tennessee.
The Jaguars now move to the post-season tournament which ends with the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 and the team comes back to practice today.
The first playoff game will be in Foxboro, Mass. against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, a team than actually had a lower record than the Jaguars at 11-5.
It would take a very unlikely — and unprecedented — series of wins by Jacksonville and the other wild card team, Pittsburgh, for a game to be played in Alltel Stadium before the 2006 preseason starts in August. Both will have to win their next two games, and both are on the road. Jacksonville would have to beat New England and Denver and Pittsburgh would have to beat Cincinnati and Indianapolis.